Bergen County Teen Co-Authors Children’s Book With Ukranian Refugee

Trevor Ostfeld chose to skip his family Spring Break in Florida in March 2022 and instead traveled with his father Scott and other volunteers from Temple Emanu-El in Closter to Poland and Ukraine.

The group carried over 9,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies to help women and children who were fleeing from war and distributed them at the Poland-Ukraine border. Together they brought over 4,000 diapers and other personal essentials to aid the impacted families.

“Part of what I realized in Poland and Ukraine is that kids are just kids, even when they are escaping their homes. I will never forget seeing everyone crossing the border out of Ukraine,” said the 17-year-old who lives in Bergen County but is a junior at a high school in NYC.

When Ukraine was attacked, 13-year-old Iryna Chernyak and her mother had to abruptly leave everything behind in Kyiv, including their beloved cat Messi. After coming back home from overseas, Trevor couldn’t stop thinking about Iryna’s story. It inspired him to write a children’s book, “Finding Messi: The Miracle Cat From Kyiv.”

Based on the true story, Messi goes missing, and Iryna rallies the community to help find her. The book gently explains the impact of war on families, and young readers will better understand the experiences of children displaced by war. Trevor wanted to help kids better understand what it’s like to grow up in a war crisis and to teach them how to empathize with those who are experiencing it.

Trevor is an avid reader and enjoys spending time outdoors with his dog and running an alternative assets club at his high school. He lives with his parents (his mom is Emmy Award-winning reporter Jen Maxfield), two sisters and his dog, Rocket.

Iryna is a seventh class student in Warsaw, Poland. She enjoys contemporary dance and playing the guitar. Iryna lives in Warsaw with her mom, stepdad, baby sister, and Messi.

“Finding Messi” is written by Trevor Ostfeld and Iryna Chernyak with illustrations by Katherine Blackmore. It will be released by GreenLeaf Publishing Company on April 16 online and in stores.

All proceeds from book sales will be donated to charities that support victims of the Ukraine war.

Is your child doing inspiring work in the community? If so, let us know by emailing editor@njfamily.com.

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